THE WARS OF THE JEWS
OR
THE HISTORY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
Preface
1 WHEREAS the war which the Jews made
with the Romans hath been the greatest of all those,
not only that have been in our times, but, in a
manner, of those that ever were heard of; both of
those wherein cities have fought against cities, or
nations against nations; while some men who were not
concerned in the affairs themselves have gotten
together vain and contradictory stories by hearsay,
and have written them down after a sophistical manner;
and while those that were there present have given
false accounts of things, and this either out of a
humor of flattery to the Romans, or of hatred towards
the Jews; and while their writings contain sometimes
accusations, and sometimes encomiums, but no where the
accurate truth of the facts; I have proposed to
myself, for the sake of such as live under the
government of the Romans, to translate those books
into the Greek tongue, which I formerly composed in
the language of our country, and sent to the Upper
Barbarians; 2 Joseph, the son of Matthias, by birth a
Hebrew, a priest also, and one who at first fought
against the Romans myself, and was forced to be
present at what was done afterwards, [am the author of
this work].
2. Now at the time when this great concussion of
affairs happened, the affairs of the Romans were
themselves in great disorder. Those Jews also who were
for innovations, then arose when the times were
disturbed; they were also in a flourishing condition
for strength and riches, insomuch that the affairs of
the East were then exceeding tumultuous, while some
hoped for gain, and others were afraid of loss in such
troubles; for the Jews
hoped that all of their nation which were beyond
Euphrates would have raised an insurrection together
with them. The Gauls also, in the neighborhood of the
Romans, were in motion, and the Geltin were not quiet;
but all was in disorder after the death of Nero. And
the opportunity now offered induced many to aim at the
royal power; and the soldiery affected change, out of
the hopes of getting money. I thought it therefore an
absurd thing to see the truth falsified in affairs of
such great consequence, and to take no notice of it;
but to suffer those Greeks and Romans that were not in
the wars to be ignorant of these things, and to read
either flatteries or fictions, while the Parthians,
and the Babylonians, and the remotest Arabians, and
those of our nation beyond Euphrates, with the
Adiabeni, by my means, knew accurately both whence the
war begun, what miseries it brought upon us, and after
what manner it ended.
3. It is true, these writers have the confidence to
call their accounts histories; wherein yet they seem
to me to fail of their own purpose, as well as to
relate nothing that is sound. For they have a mind to
demonstrate the greatness of the Romans, while they
still diminish and lessen the actions of the Jews, as
not discerning how it cannot be that those must appear
to be great who have only conquered those that were
little. Nor are they ashamed to overlook the length of
the war, the multitude of the Roman forces who so
greatly suffered in it, or the might of the
commanders, whose great labors about Jerusalem will be
deemed inglorious, if what they achieved be reckoned
but a small matter.
4. However, I will not go to the other extreme, out
of opposition to those men who extol the Romans nor
will I determine to raise the actions of my countrymen
too high; but I will prosecute the actions of both
parties with accuracy. Yet shall I suit my language to
the passions I am under, as to the affairs I describe,
and must be allowed to indulge some lamentations upon
the miseries undergone by my own country. For that it
was a seditious temper of our own that destroyed it,
and that they were the tyrants among the Jews who
brought the Roman power upon us, who unwillingly
attacked us, and occasioned the burning of our holy
temple, Titus Caesar, who destroyed it, is himself a
witness, who, daring the entire war, pitied the people
who were kept under by the seditious, and did often
voluntarily delay the taking of the city, and allowed
time to the siege, in order to let the authors have
opportunity for repentance. But if any one
makes an unjust accusation against us, when we
speak so passionately about the tyrants, or the
robbers, or sorely bewail the misfortunes of our
country, let him indulge my affections herein, though
it be contrary to the rules for writing history;
because it had so come to pass, that our city
Jerusalem had arrived at a higher degree of felicity
than any other city under the Roman government, and
yet at last fell into the sorest of calamities again.
Accordingly, it appears to me that the misfortunes of
all men, from the beginning of the world, if they be
compared to these of the Jews 3 are not so
considerable as they were; while the authors of them
were not foreigners neither. This makes it impossible
for me to contain my lamentations. But if any one be
inflexible in his censures of me, let him attribute
the facts themselves to the historical part, and the
lamentations to the writer himself only.
5. However, I may justly blame the learned men
among the Greeks, who, when such great actions have
been done in their own times, which, upon the
comparison, quite eclipse the old wars, do yet sit as
judges of those affairs, and pass bitter censures upon
the labors of the best writers of antiquity; which
moderns, although they may be superior to the old
writers in eloquence, yet are they inferior to them in
the execution of what they intended to do. While these
also write new histories about the Assyrians and
Medes, as if the ancient writers had not described
their affairs as they ought to have done; although
these be as far inferior to them in abilities as they
are different in their notions from them. For of old
every one took upon them to write what happened in his
own time; where their immediate concern in the actions
made their promises of value; and where it must be
reproachful to write lies, when they must be known by
the readers to be such. But then, an undertaking to
preserve the memory Of what hath not been before
recorded, and to represent the affairs of one’s own
time to those that come afterwards, is really worthy
of praise and commendation. Now he is to be esteemed
to have taken good pains in earnest, not who does no
more than change the disposition and order of other
men’s works, but he who not only relates what had not
been related before, but composes an entire body of
history of his own: accordingly, I have been at great
charges, and have taken very great pains [about this
history], though I be a foreigner; and do dedicate
this work, as a memorial of great actions, both to the
Greeks and to the Barbarians. But for some of
our own principal men, their mouths are wide open,
and their tongues loosed presently, for gain and
law-suits, but quite muzzled up when they are to write
history, where they must speak truth and gather facts
together with a great deal of pains; and so they leave
the writing such histories to weaker people, and to
such as are not acquainted with the actions of
princes. Yet shall the real truth of historical facts
be preferred by us, how much so ever it be neglected
among the Greek historians.
6. To write concerning the Antiquities of the Jews,
who they were[originally], and how they revolted from
the Egyptians, and what country they traveled over,
and what countries they seized upon afterward, and how
they were removed out of them, I think this not to be
a fit opportunity, and, on other accounts, also
superfluous; and this because many Jews before me have
composed the histories of our ancestors very exactly;
as have some of the Greeks done it also, and have
translated our histories into their own tongue, and
have not much mistaken the truth in their histories.
But then, where the writers of these affairs and our
prophets leave off, thence shall I take my rise, and
begin my history. Now as to what concerns that war
which happened in my own time, I will go over it very
largely, and with all the diligence I am able; but for
what preceded mine own age, that I shall run over
briefly.
7. [For example, I shall relate] how Antiochus, who
was named Epiphanes, took Jerusalem by force, and held
it three years and three months, and was then ejected
out of the country by the sons of Asamoneus: after
that, how their posterity quarreled about the
government, and brought upon their settlement the
Romans and Pompey; how Herod also, the son of
Antipater, dissolved their government, and brought
Sosins upon them; as also how our people made a
sedition upon Herod’s death, while Augustus was the
Roman emperor, and Quintilius Varus was in that
country; and how the war broke out in the twelfth year
of Nero, with what happened to Cestius; and what
places the Jews assaulted in a hostile manner in the
first sallies of the war.
8. As also [I shall relate] how they built walls
about the neighboring cities; and how Nero, upon
Cestius’s defeat, was in fear of the entire event of
the war, and thereupon made Vespasian general in this
war; and how this Vespasian, with the elder of his
sons 4 made an expedition into the country
of Judea; what was the number of the Ro
man army
that he made use of; and how many of his auxiliaries
were cut off in all Galilee; and how he took some of
its cities entirely, and by force, and others of them
by treaty, and on terms. Now, when I am come so far, I
shall describe the good order of the Romans in war,
and the discipline of their legions; the amplitude of
both the Galilees, with its nature, and the limits of
Judea. And, besides this, I shall particularly go over
what is peculiar to the country, the lakes and
fountains that are in them, and what miseries happened
to every city as they were taken; and all this with
accuracy, as I saw the things done, or suffered in
them. For I shall not conceal any of the calamities I
myself endured, since I shall relate them to such as
know the truth of them.
9. After this, [I shall relate] how, When the Jews’
affairs were become very bad, Nero died, and
Vespasian, when he was going to attack Jerusalem, was
called back to take the government upon him; what
signs happened to him relating to his gaining that
government, and what mutations of government then
happened at Rome, and how he was unwillingly made
emperor by his soldiers; and how, upon his departure
to Egypt, to take upon him the government of the
empire, the affairs of the Jews became very
tumultuous; as also how the tyrants rose up against
them, and fell into dissensions among themselves.
10. Moreover, [I shall relate] how Titus marched
out of Egypt into Judea the second time; as also how,
and where, and how many forces he got together; and in
what state the city was, by the means of the
seditious, at his coming; what attacks he made, and
how many ramparts he cast up; of the three walls that
encompassed the city, and of their measures; of the
strength of the city, and the structure of the temple
and holy house; and besides, the measures of those
edifices, and of the altar, and all accurately
determined. A description also of certain of their
festivals, and seven purifications of purity, 5 and
the sacred ministrations of the priests, with the
garments of the priests, and of the high priests; and
of the nature of the most holy place of the temple;
without concealing any thing, or adding any thing to
the known truth of things.
11. After this, I shall relate the barbarity of the
tyrants towards the people of their own nation, as
well as the indulgence of the Romans in sparing
foreigners; and how often Titus, out of his desire to
preserve the city and
the temple, invited the seditious to come to terms
of accommodation. I shall also distinguish the
sufferings of the people, and their calamities; how
far they were afflicted by the sedition, and how far
by the famine, and at length were taken. Nor shall I
omit to mention the misfortunes of the deserters, nor
the punishments inflicted on the captives; as also how
the temple was burnt, against the consent of Caesar;
and how many sacred things that had been laid up in
the temple were snatched out of the fire; the
destruction also of the entire city, with the signs
and wonders that went before it; and the taking the
tyrants captives, and the multitude of those that were
made slaves, and into what different misfortunes they
were every one distributed. Moreover, what the Romans
did to the remains of the wall; and how they
demolished the strong holds that were in the country;
and how Titus went over the whole country, and settled
its affairs; together with his return into Italy, and
his triumph.
12. I have comprehended all these things in seven
books, and have left no occasion for complaint or
accusation to such as have been acquainted with this
war; and I have written it down for the sake of those
that love truth, but not for those that please
themselves [with fictitious relations]. And I will
begin my account of these things with what I call my
First Chapter.
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